OBSERVATORY ALMANAC · NOCTURNAL DISPATCH

Tonight under the Sky

59.92°N, 11.17°EEurope/Oslo
Astronomical Twilight-13.8° (−12° to −18°)
19:34:33
Fri, Oct 23, 2026
PHOTOMETRIC TWILIGHT SPECTRUM9h 53m of true darkness · 14h 33m total night
DaylightCivil (−6°)Nautical (−12°)Astro (−18°)Dark Sky (<−18°)
TRUE DARK SKY WINDOW
Sunset17:44
Civil Dusk18:27
Nautical19:15
Full Dark20:03
Nadir01:00
Dark Ends05:56
Nautical06:44
Civil Dawn07:33
Sunrise08:16
LIVE REAL-TIME OBSERVATION
SunsetSunrise
LOCAL SKY PLANISPHERE · STEREOGRAPHIC PROJECTION

All-Sky Nocturnal Dome

Click any body to inspect telemetry
30° ALT60° ALTZENITHNESW Polaris Vega Arcturus Capella Altair Aldebaran Deneb Saturn (0.3) Uranus (5.6) Neptune (7.8) Moon (93%)
LUNAR EPHEMERISWaxing Gibbous
ILLUMINATION93%
ALTITUDE19.3°
DISTANCE380,069 km
Moonrise16:45
Moonset05:47
HorizonAbove
LUNAR INTERFERENCE INDEX31% · Moderate Lunar Glow

Milky Way contrast is softened. Bright open clusters and double stars are optimal.

ATMOSPHERIC SEEING & CLOUD PROFILETonight's Index
71/100
Good Stargazing

Fine observing conditions. Open star clusters and nebulae will exhibit crisp structure.

CLOUD COVER15%
HUMIDITY50%
VISIBILITY18 km
DEW POINT10.8°C
PLANETARY EPHEMERIS & ALMANAC

Visible Planets Tonight

PLANETSTATUSMAGNITUDEALTITUDEAZIMUTHCONSTELLATIONRISETRANSITSETEQUIPMENT
Venus♀ Below Horizon -4.3-20.2°270°Libra09:0712:5416:42Naked Eye
Jupiter♃ Below Horizon -2.0-13.6°341°Leo00:5808:5116:40Naked Eye
Saturn♄ Visible Low 0.314.4°113°Pisces17:3323:4605:59Naked Eye
Mars♂ Below Horizon 1.0-11.2°350°Cancer23:5408:1616:37Naked Eye
Mercury☿ Below Horizon 0.4-12.3°250°Libra10:5714:1817:38Binoculars
Uranus♅ Rising / Setting 5.66.1°57°Taurus18:2603:1712:12Binoculars
Neptune♆ Visible Low 7.816.1°121°Pisces17:1523:1605:17Telescope
TONIGHT'S VIEWING SCHEDULE

When & Where to Look Tonight

A simple guide to when each object is above your horizon. No astronomy chart reading required.

BEST TIMEHighest in your sky
The MoonNaked Eye · Good height
RISES16:45
BEST TIME23:04S · 32° high
SETS05:47
Reaches about 32° above the horizon at its highest point.Waxing Gibbous (93% illuminated). Moderate Lunar Glow.
JupiterNaked Eye · Good height
RISES00:58
BEST TIME08:51S · 45° high
SETS16:40
Reaches about 45° above the horizon at its highest point.Bright golden disc; four Galilean moons easily seen in 7x50 binoculars.
SaturnNaked Eye · Good height
RISES17:33
BEST TIME23:46S · 32° high
SETS05:59
Reaches about 32° above the horizon at its highest point.Pale amber jewel; majestic ring system visible in any 60mm telescope.
VenusNaked Eye · Low in the sky
RISES09:07
BEST TIME12:54S · 12° high
SETS16:42
Only reaches about 12° above the horizon. An open view is important.Brilliant dazzling beacon; visible crescent phase in small telescope.
MarsNaked Eye · High in the sky
RISES23:54
BEST TIME08:16S · 48° high
SETS16:37
Reaches about 48° above the horizon at its highest point.Distinctive crimson hue; polar ice cap discernible near opposition.
OBSERVING LOG & TARGET LIST

Tonight's Prime Deep-Sky Targets

M31 / NGC 224 · Andromeda

Andromeda Galaxy

Spiral Galaxy (2.5M ly)

Our galactic neighbor; visible as a ghostly oval smudge with dense radiant stellar core.

M45 · Taurus

The Pleiades (Seven Sisters)

Open Star Cluster

Breathtaking blue diamond cluster enshrouded in delicate interstellar reflection nebulosity.

M42 / NGC 1976 · Orion

Great Orion Nebula

Diffuse Emission Nebula

Star nursery harboring the brilliant Trapezium cluster with sprawling bat-wing filaments.

NGC 869 & NGC 884 · Perseus

The Double Cluster

Twin Open Clusters

Pair of spectacular shimmering jewel-boxes bursting with ruby supergiant stars.

M13 / NGC 6205 · Hercules

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

Globular Cluster (300k stars)

Massive beehive of ancient stars packed tightly together into a blazing central ball.

M57 / NGC 6720 · Lyra

The Ring Nebula

Planetary Nebula

Delicate glowing smoke-ring left behind by a dying star 2,500 light-years away.